Black, White, and Sometimes Bright Pink
by Chibizoo
Summary: After being with Yami for such a long time, Yuugi begins to wonder – what does friendship really mean? And what price does it come at? A one-shot short story written in answer to Atarashii’s fanfic challenge.
1. Default Chapter

~~~Atarashii's Fic Challenge: What if a simple mistake on Yugi's   
behalf causes everyone else--including Yami--to abandon him when he   
really needs help the most? The mistake could be anything, including someone gets hurt due to his slight carelessness; the incident where he needs help? Well...that could be a number of things too...anyone up to the challenge?~~~  
  
  
Author's notes:   
  
I DO NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! I do not even own my own life, so I'm pretty much set...  
  
Hmm.. I've seen several _really good_ entries to   
Atarashii's fanfic challenge (read above), so I'm hoping that this   
one will be unique and different in it's own way.  
  
Eevee muse: (rolls eyes) Don't worry, it _is_  
  
Besides Atarashii convincing me to get one done, my other   
inspirations stem from various fanfics I've read - yes people, I'm   
getting ideas from _your_ fanfics! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  
  
NOTE: I changed Anzu's name to "Tea" for a specific reason. My   
apology to all non-dubbies.  
  
**********************************************  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
{....Pluto went to the refrigerator and got out the milk and   
leftover barbecued chicken. He took a leg and munched on it, after   
handing the carton to Jesus. "Anyway, like I was saying, everything is just a   
rule for you, isn't it? Can't have any fun or you'll be committing some   
sin."  
  
Jesus grinned. "That's not true. See?" He started   
drinking directly from the milk carton. "Look what I'm doing!" ....}  
  
- Excerpt from John Carp's "Secondary Characters"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
************************************  
  
  
Short story - Black, White, and Sometimes Bright Pink  
  
  
  
"Wow, it's really him."  
  
"No way, its _the_ Yuugi Mutou?"  
  
A young boy the age of fourteen walked down the bright   
linoleum-polished hallways, one hand clutching the straps on his   
backpack.  
  
"I heard that he defeated Seto Kaiba single-handedly in   
the Championships."  
  
The boy winced, brows furrowing in frustration, as he   
quickened his pace. Small footsteps pounded against the ground,   
syncopated like the beating of his heart.   
  
"Have you seen him duel? He looks so confident!"  
  
His breaths were coming in jagged gasps now, but not   
from the fear or exhaustion his body was used to. The pounding   
grew faster, a dull beating drum.   
  
"Yuugi!" A face suddenly appeared in front of the small   
boy. It belonged to another taller boy, this one with unruly dirty-  
blonde hair, sporting a lanky frame. "Oi, Yuugi. You doing   
anything tonight?"  
  
Yuugi swallowed, masking his agitation. Masking that   
agony that boiled and burned his blood, calling out with   
fathomless anguish. "I-I'm sorry Jounochi. I have a..." His voice   
faltered, not sure what to say.   
  
Jounochi simply grinned in response, eyes flashing   
momentarily before calming down to a hazy grey. "Its okay,   
Yuugi." He muttered, patting his smaller friend on the shoulder   
before winking and turning to leave. "I understand."  
  
The smaller boy, Yuugi, watched his best friend leave.   
He watched the firm pounding of steps, like a perfect drum   
soloist. And, with a defeated slump, he walked away, the   
syncopation beating again with a lonely thud.   
  
*************************************  
  
Yuugi looked at his reflection in the mirror. If he stood   
up, he could be a little taller. He braced his frame against the   
counter, pushing upwards so that his feet hung, elevated body   
supported my small, frail arms. There, he looked much better!  
  
He was still too short. The small boy looked around,   
perfect spiky hair swinging to one side. It had to be of the   
lighting. Yes, the lighting made him look short!  
  
The light went off.   
  
And on.  
  
And off again.   
  
Yes, off was definitely better. That way, he couldn't   
really see. Yuugi frowned. But then, he'd have to convince   
himself.   
  
With a defeated sigh, the light flickered back on. And   
Yuugi left the bathroom, no happier than he had entered.   
  
*************************************  
  
"Hey Yuugi, my man!" Jounochi smiled, heartily   
slapping the younger boy on the back as he sat down beside him.   
"How's it coming so far?"  
  
Yuugi, having just sat down in the cafeteria admist the   
sea of chattering faces, smiled back. "Fine. Great. I'm as happy as   
ever. So-o-o-o happy. Yes-sir-ee! Happy as can be!" He began to   
sing a bit to himself, the tune oddly reminiscent of various   
nursery songs.   
  
Jounochi laughed it away, although it was obvious that   
he was no longer sitting as close to Yuugi as he had been. He took   
out his lunch, piece by piece, watching his friend do the same.   
"What do you have for lunch?" He asked, again trying to make a   
conversation.   
  
Yuugi shrugged. He took out an apple, and shoved it in   
front of Jounochi's face. "What does it look like?" The younger   
boy frowned. "I thought it was an apple, but obviously it's not,   
since you're asking me." He then made a face. "Of course, maybe   
only I see an apple."  
  
The other boy backed another few inches away. "Erm.   
No... I'm quite sure it is an apple." He gulped, wondering what   
on earth Yuugi was implying. Had his friend suddenly gone   
insane?  
  
"So... how's Yami these days?" Another friendly   
attempt made by the taller boy.  
  
Yuugi looked like he was going to lose it right then and   
there, eyes flashing an unnatural violet. Strange emotions   
flickered in his eyes like a kaleidoscope, eternally shifting,   
although the pattern of internal turmoil and agony continued. He   
opened his mouth to say something...  
  
.... And then shut it.   
  
And opened it again.   
  
The second time shutting it wasn't as successful. He bit   
his tongue.   
  
Jounochi noticed how Yuugi winced, and took it as a   
negative sign. The poor boy had probably gotten into another   
argument with his Yami. They were becoming more frequent, and   
part of him wondered if he should just interfere and tell them to   
get a grip with themselves. Jounochi shrugged. Wasn't his affair -   
besides, how was he going to explain his problem to anyone else?   
  
~"Gee, Mr. Counselor. You see, I have a friend, and he   
has this puzzle which allows him become this ancient Egyptian   
pharaoh who was also the King of Games... of course, he always   
gets in arguments with his other, and..."~  
  
Somehow, that didn't seem right...  
  
Yuugi took out his sandwich. And he looked at it.   
Looked at the salami, ground between layers of thick mayonnaise,   
greasy and slightly pink in hue. Looked at his lettuce, limp and a   
dull green, oddly resembling the algae from his biology lab.   
Looked at his bread, a frothy white, riddled with small holes and   
craters, ready to spew out vapors of mold. Or, at least the   
bacterial bread yeast it was created from. And he decided that   
sandwiches were ugly. Not disgusting; just ugly.   
  
Like everything else.   
  
Jounochi had finished his own sandwich and was   
working on his yogurt. He glanced at Yuugi, and then at the fact   
that the boy was now fascinating himself by drawing small circles   
on his sandwich bread with an imaginary pen. Jounochi blinked,   
and continued eating. Not his fault...  
  
But he felt guilty anyway. He should do something.   
Really.   
  
Suddenly, Yuugi's salami in the sandwich could stand   
no more abuse, slipping out between the loaves of bread with a   
greasy splurt. White creamy mayonnaise spilled over the smaller   
boy's hand, covering them like a layer of thick Vaseline. The   
offended salami lay flat on the ground, suddenly more orange   
than pink.   
  
Yuugi made a move as if to pick it up, but obviously he   
had other intentions. It was hard trying to suppress his instincts   
though. But he tried hard. And he succeeded. He didn't pick up   
the object he had intentionally dropped. It was a start.   
  
Jounochi watched as Yuugi started laughing, quietly at   
first, but then loudly and deliberately. And the tall blonde-haired   
boy came to the sudden conclusion that his friend _was_ insane.   
He would have to talk to Yami about this.   
  
*****************************************  
  
Yami wanted to duel.   
  
Yuugi didn't.  
  
But that was only because his other wanted to. You see,   
if Yami _hadn't_ wanted to duel, Yuugi would have. In fact,   
Yuugi would have protested against anything else.   
  
After all, wasn't Yami-Yuugi Yuugi's opposite?  
  
*************************************  
  
"There you are!"   
  
Yuugi turned around, his height and eye level only   
allowing him to catch the waist-down appearance of source of   
voice. This time, he didn't blush.   
  
Tea appeared in front of Yuugi, and the small boy made   
an effort at looking just at her face. He wasn't a pervert - he just   
didn't want to look at her. Or so, he reasoned.   
  
The taller girl appeared to be smiling, asking politely   
how Yuugi's day was, what he was doing, and oh, was he busy   
this afternoon?  
  
Yuugi heard none of that. He heard instead, what her   
words really meant. She was waiting for someone, eyes glowing   
with a vibrant eagerness. Yet, the way she regarded Yuugi was   
only casual, almost too casual. No, those glowing vibrant eyes   
weren't meant for Yuugi.   
  
Of course not. No one liked him anyway. No one even   
saw Yuugi Mutou anymore. All they saw was -   
  
"No I'm busy, Tea. But I'll tell Yami that you called.   
I'm sure he'll accompany you."  
  
Those beautiful, intelligent, infinitely brilliant eyes of   
hers lapsed into momentary wonder. And her equally lovely face   
started glowing an unhealthy pink tinge.   
  
Yuugi mentally sighed. Tea _was_ cute. Too cute. He   
had had a crush on her since, well, even before he had met Yami.   
Yet, he had always been too shy. And now, Yuugi was finding the   
speechless Tea very boring. So he did the only thing he could   
think of. He left.   
  
Tea watched the younger boy leave, disbelief in her   
eyes. What on earth was wrong with Yuugi? It was almost as if   
the boy had lost his mind. She continued staring, watching the   
small boy walk off. And wondered a bit if she would still be able   
to see Yami tonight.   
  
Yuugi walked off in all seriousness, singing "I'm a little   
teapot" merrily to himself, ignoring the mounting number of   
stares he was receiving. And he paused, realizing that those stares   
were Not Good.   
  
And he scowled. Now he had forgotten the next words.   
What were they again? Oh yeah.   
  
"... short and stout..."  
  
****************************************  
  
Yuugi didn't even blink as his double appeared right   
beside him. He mentally snorted to himself. "Double"? Yeah,   
right. As similar as day was to night. They were all blind. Yami   
claimed to be the darkness, but in reality, he was the light. For,   
everyone saw _him_, but not Yuugi. Not poor, helpless,   
defenseless Yuugi. Oh no, Yuugi was the night. No one liked the   
night.   
  
Yami was angry now, expression grim and a bit   
flustered. His normally spiky hair flopped a bit to one side,   
reminding Yuugi of the days when he hadn't put enough hair-  
spray in his hair.   
  
The once-pharaoh seemed to be in an internal debate   
with himself, occasionally taking deep gulps of breath and   
massaging his temples. He was also fidgeting. Yami _never_   
fidgeted.   
  
Yuugi sighed. He hated seeing his other so agitated. He   
needed his Yami, and now, when he needed Yami the most, the   
other appeared to be in some high state of delirium.  
  
The younger boy, coming to that conclusion, took the   
necessary steps of recovery.   
  
"It _is_ your fault, you know." He heard himself say.  
  
Yami glared at his counterpart. "Please, Yuugi. Not this   
again." He sighed, voice deep and reasoning. "Aibou, if there's   
something wrong, please tell me. There's no way to fix it if you   
keep on hiding it."  
  
Yuugi blinked. And blinked several times. He decided to   
blink some more for extra emphasis. "Am I missing something?"   
He asked, voice as neutral as he felt. "I'm quite sure I left out   
something."  
  
To his credit, Yami looked unruffled. The once-pharaoh   
walked up to the smaller boy, placing his hands on top of Yuugi's   
shoulders in a brotherly gesture. Silent and sympathetic crimson   
eyes glared firmly into chaotic violet eyes.   
  
Yuugi swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. His heart   
thumped noisily in his chest and he suddenly felt a million times   
clumsier. Yami _was_ beautiful. Too beautiful for his own good.   
And Yuugi almost felt proud that Yami was wearing the exact   
same hairstyle as him. In fact, Yami sort off looked like him too.   
  
Yuugi would be proud, if he wasn't busy being absorbed   
by his other emotions, that is. Vaguely, Yuugi wondered what it   
would be like to taste his other's lips. Kinda soft, he guessed.   
Maybe a bit moist. He was hoping cherry. Or strawberry.   
  
Yuugi shook his head. What on earth was he thinking?   
No, it _definitely_ had to be grape.   
  
The Millennium puzzle glowed a bit before Yami   
disappeared, returning once more in defeat into his Soul Room.   
Yuugi blinked, wondering if it was something he said. He really   
liked blinking. It was cool.   
  
****************************************  
  
"So... that's all?" After the gigantic lecture, Yuugi was   
incredulous at the conclusion. It was _that_ simple?  
  
The other person, a professional-looking man in his late   
forties, with a nicely shaven chin and prominent jutting nose,   
simply smiled, rather kindly. "That's all." He repeated,   
concluding it with a rather serious voice.   
  
Yuugi tried his blinking technique again. "Sorry, but I   
don't quite understand."  
  
The professional sighed. Usually, people like Yuugi   
didn't understand. Otherwise, why would they go see him? "It's   
rather hard to explain, Mr. Mutou." The man searched his mind   
for the best words to use. They were chosen carefully, with   
effects of each one taken into consideration. "You have a pretty   
decent life. But this one person - what's his name again?"  
  
Yuugi looked up from his pondering position. "Yami.   
Just Yami is fine."  
  
"Okay," The professional continued. "This person you   
call 'Yami' might have done something to make you feel jealous.   
You mentioned how he was always better than you and how   
everyone liked him right?"  
  
An affirmative grunt responded.   
  
"Well," the man leant back on his comfortable leather   
chair, flipping through his notes one more time, making sure he   
hadn't left any major detail behind in the examination. " I think   
you should confront Yami. Tell him how you feel. What I   
understand is that you are a bit jealous about how good he is. If he   
really is your friend, tell him that."  
  
Yuugi gave a blank stare. "What if he's not?"  
  
"Not what?" The professional asked.   
  
"Not my friend." Yuugi added.   
  
The professional sighed, before looking face-to-face at   
the small boy. "Ever tried making friends with him?"  
  
Yuugi looked flustered. "But he's not- I mean-" His   
voice fell, earnest. "I don't think he even notices me, with all   
those other friends he has."  
  
The man began taking notes again. He looked up briefly,   
adjusting his large glasses. "You mean, you aren't jealous of him?   
You're just jealous about the others taking him away from you?"  
  
Yuugi gave the man a blank stare. "How should I   
know?"  
  
Now, the professional was getting confused. "But didn't   
you say that you want to be noticed by him?"  
  
Yuugi simply scowled, which turned out to be a rather   
childish frown. "I dunno - you're the professional."  
  
The man had nothing to say to that. The sound of more   
scribbling, the hard ink pen against a sturdy notepad, ensued.   
There were no pauses in between.   
  
"Yuugi." The professional began, fresh ideas in his   
mind. "Answer me truthfully: do you like Yami?"  
  
"Of course." Yuugi began. "He's my best friend."  
  
"Do you trust him?"  
  
Yuugi hesitated. Did he trust Yami? "Yami would never   
do anything against me."  
  
"Does he like you as a friend?"  
  
Another nod.   
  
"Do you see him often?"  
  
Heck, more than he ever wanted to. Yuugi continued   
nodding. Nodding was fun!  
  
"Have you ever tried confronting him about your   
problems?"  
  
Yuugi stopped nodding. Had he? Had he, in all earnest   
tried? A part of him knew that he hadn't. And made a mental note   
to talk to his Yami once he got home. To really try. But right   
now, he wanted to get his money's worth.   
  
"Yes." Yuugi slumped his head in a dejected manner.  
  
The professional stopped writing. "What did he say?"   
  
Yuugi giggled to himself as he told a fantastical tale   
about a time when he had confronted a ..._fidgeting_ Yami and   
made his other retreat back to his soul room. Of course, he then   
had to explain to the nice man what a "Soul Room" was.   
  
"I... see." The professional psychiatrist finally replied,   
scribbling down some final notes.   
  
Yuugi was rather disappointed when he was given a   
subscription for some medicine that was supposed to clear his   
"hallucinations"  
  
****************************************  
  
Yuugi was angry. Jounochi had started to ignore him, no   
longer talking to him at all. At best, the taller boy would sit down   
for some lunch, but whenever Yuugi took out his sandwich, the   
older boy would slowly back away, muttering something about   
having to fetch an apple.   
  
Tea was even worse. Occasionally, when she saw Yuugi,   
she would give him a sympathetic smile, as if she knew what was   
going on. And when Yuugi walked away, he would always feel   
her presence, her gentle eyes staring at him.   
  
Yuugi didn't know Honda as well as he would have   
liked to. Note the past tense. And since Honda had this mutual   
agreement, they hardly ever met each other. End of story there.   
  
But Yami. Now, Yami was a problem. First of all, his   
Yami refused to talk to him. He felt angry at his Yami for   
deserting him on a time like this, when he needed to confront his   
Yami the most. Honestly, ancient Egyptian pharaohs had no sense   
of guilt or self-morale. A part of him wondered if it was because   
he had locked his puzzle away. But didn't Yami see that Yuugi   
had to? The designs on the puzzle were bothering him. Especially   
that ugly eye on the center. Besides, the wearing the entire puzzle   
had just been plain tacky, not to mention downright heavy. Yet,   
that was no excuse for a friend and companion like Yami just to   
desert him. Yuugi snorted. Huh, "friend" indeed.   
  
***********************************  
  
Yuugi took out his lunch bag. And he smiled as he saw   
the contents.   
  
"Guess what Jounochi? I got a banana!"  
  
Jounochi muttered something about Yuugi being several,   
but the younger boy didn't catch it quite. He was almost positive   
that Jounochi had muttered "you are" instead of "you have". But   
that was bad grammar, so Yuugi had corrected it. Yes, Jounochi   
had muttered something about Yuugi _having_ bananas.   
  
**********************************  
  
Did it really matter what happened to Yami? That was   
the question he always asked himself before bed. Poor, poor   
Yami. Locked away in an ancient puzzle, and then rescued by   
him. Yuugi cackled. Yes, he definitely felt sorry for poor Yami.   
He would have continued feeling sorry for Yami, if he wasn't   
busy feeling sorry for himself, that is.   
  
So, the puzzle in the locked safety cabinet remained   
untouched.   
  
Still, Yuugi couldn't help but wonder why Yami hadn't   
even mentioned a word since their last argument. He really   
wanted Yami to forgive him and like him again. He had   
deliberately remembered a time when Yami had admitted the   
puzzle was ugly, but now that he had taken it off, Yami no longer   
talked to him. Yuugi humphed angrily. The nerve of that once-  
pharaoh. Yami was just too... arrogant!  
  
Cheeks flushed angrily, Yuugi curled into a small   
position, soon drifting off into a much desired sleep.   
  
**************************************  
  
"Wake up, silly."  
  
A deep voice, rather soothing and calm, stirred Yuugi   
from his dream state.   
  
The small boy yawned, rubbing his eyes and looking   
around the room dazedly. Trying to grab his school uniform, he   
realized that he was still disoriented, stumbling and falling.   
  
Luckily, someone caught him on time.   
  
Yuugi beamed at his older brother. A lot of people said   
they were alike, although Yami had always gotten the popularity   
and good looks. But Yuugi didn't care. He was happy for his   
brother, and secretly hoped to be just like him some day. When he   
had told his brother that, Yami had laughed, saying that he hoped   
not.   
"Thanks, bro. I can always count on you."  
  
His brother coughed nervously. Yuugi knew it was   
because Yami didn't want to look weak. "No problem." Yami   
then winked, smirking in his trademark manner. "What's up? You   
usually don't fall about like that."  
  
"Its nothing." Yuugi shook his head to clear out the   
intrusions. "I just had this really strange dream."  
  
"Oh?" Once Yami was curious, it was very hard for him   
to stop until he was satiated. "About what?"  
  
Yuugi sighed, scratching his head confusedly. "It's   
really vague, actually. Really weird." He blushed, not really   
wanting to continue.   
  
But Yuugi's older brother would give him no privacy.   
"Come on, Yuugi. It's just a dream."  
  
Yuugi coughed nervously, but gave in. "Okay. I had this   
really weird puzzle that granted me the presence of this ancient   
Egyptian pharaoh. What was really weird was that he was once a   
"King of Games" and could win at any game he wanted to."  
  
Yami laughed. "Whoah. He sorta sounds like me. The   
winning at any game part, I mean."  
  
"Even weirder," Yuugi continued, furrowing his brows   
to recall the escaping memory of the dream, "I could summon this   
pharaoh and he would protect me. And he and I would switch   
places, where he would become me." Yuugi laughed, nervously.   
"The funny thing is that his name was also Yami."  
  
His brother laughed, ruffling Yuugi's hair. "Crazy   
dreams you have, kid."  
  
Yuugi smiled, and watched as his brother left the room   
to allow him some time to pack up and dress accordingly. Of   
course, he hadn't mentioned the other part. Yuugi shuddered.   
Unlike his dream- Yami, he could always trust his brother. He   
loved his brother dearly, and was proud of it. Besides, who on   
earth would have friends called "Tea", "Honda", and "Jounochi"?  
  
****************************************  
  
Yuugi woke up, rubbing his eyes. His first instinct was   
to grab the Millennium puzzle, usually located right on top of his   
night-stand, to the left of his alarm clock. _His_ left, by the way.   
  
But it wasn't there.   
  
And Yuugi scratched his head, confused. He better take   
another pill before seeing the doctor again.   
  
***************************************  
**************************************  
  
Ending notes:  
  
Zoo: All right. How many of you actually understood the ending?   
  
*grasshoppers chirp in the background*  
  
Zoo: (undaunted) I'm so glad you guys liked it ^_^! Oooh! Give   
me some more fanfic challenges! I like these a lot ^.~  
  
Eevee muse: Erm... I think you just used up your 15 years'   
supply of fanfic writing privileges...  
  
Zoo: o.O;;; By the way, if you have something negative to say,   
give a reason for your negative-ness. It has to be a legitimate   
reason, and you have to have understood the fic. Haha.. that's a   
good one ^_^  
- Positive reviews are always accepted, though!   
  
By the way, extra credits go to Audacity, who is always there to   
encourage me through my insanity. Go and read her fic, and   
understand that she's insane too! ^_^ 


	2. Explanations for the story...

Author's notes: After seeing that almost everyone didn't get my fic at   
all (which I was not surprised), I decided to do a little chapter   
rundown, where I explained everything. Yes, it's true – my secrets   
and hidden jokes as well as double meanings in this fic will all be   
revealed!!  
  
(thunder flashes dramatically in the background, some it of striking   
Zoo and reducing her to a black scorch)  
  
Zoo: *cough*  
  
Extra notes: I would like to personally congratulate Kleptomaniac   
Can Opener for actually understanding not only the ending, but one   
of the themes in my fic! Ha! My Eevee Muse and I had a bet that no   
one would understand. ^_^  
  
(image of Eevee Muse paying Zoo $20)  
  
Note: I shall do an explanation of each segment, meaning they are   
separated by asterisks (*).   
******************************  
  
"Zoo's Coles-notes © of 'Black, White, and Sometimes Bright   
Pink'"  
  
***************************  
  
In the first scene, the people are talking about Yuugi, and   
how popular he's become. Now, think carefully. Why is Yuugi   
popular?   
In the anime and the manga, he's a short, quiet, almost anti-social   
kid, who's not very popular in school. His wish in the manga was to   
have good friends. Now, what would happen if he had all the   
popularity he wanted, but realized that it really _wasn't_ him? That   
Yami had become popular, but he still, in reality, was the same.   
  
Any person would feel bitter. Bitterness leads to irrationality.   
Irrationality leads to insanity.   
  
The pounding of Jounochi's feet against the ground are in perfect   
beat – perfect, because the rhythm matches his character – not caring,   
undaunted, somewhat "manly-like". The pounding of Yuugi's feet   
are in a disjunct rhythm because his life is always uncertain, and with   
Yami, he has only been disillusioned. Again, the common theme of   
appearance vs. reality comes into play (see: Hamlet)  
  
**************************************  
  
The second scene involves Yuugi looking into his reflection in the   
mirror. He reflects his thoughts upon the mirror (ha ha) and begins to   
relate his height to his insignificance. So, he believes that his   
appearance affects his worth. Thus, the light turning off, so he can't   
see his "worthless appearance". Eventually, he comes to accept that   
if he couldn't see his reflection, he is only deceiving himself,   
pretending that he is taller to make himself feel better.   
  
*******************************  
  
The third scene is still somewhat simple. Jounochi comes to have   
lunch with Yuugi, and Yuugi sings a nursery rhyme. One can almost   
see Yuugi staring at Jounochi from the corner of his eyes as if testing   
him. When the taller boy tries to make conversation by asking what   
Yuugi had for lunch, the small boy takes out his apple and asks   
Jounochi what he sees. This is key because it again invokes the idea   
of appearance and reality. The apple, although appearing to be   
innocent, has a greater significance. It has been used by Jounochi to   
make friendly conversation, trying to conform Yuugi into normal,   
everyday life. But Yuugi thinks that he doesn't fit in everyday life.   
So, he declines Jounochi's friendly conversation by proclaiming that   
the apple might not be real. In many ways, he is proclaiming that his   
life, his reality, might all be just a mockery.   
  
*****************************  
  
The next scene is short. It just basically states "nothing is plain black   
and white". What you say might not be what you mean.   
  
Such is the case of Yuugi. In fanfics, they always claim Yuugi to be   
Yami's opposite, light day to night. But, does that mean that Yuugi is   
_always_ Yami's opposite?  
  
*********************************  
  
This scene is basically to re-state Yuugi's emotions. He   
obviously has a crush on Tea, but realizes that he'll never get her.   
Firstly, he is _not_ Yami, and Tea likes Yami (or so many fanfics   
have hinted). Second, he realizes that because of Yami, he'll never   
get her. He begins to feel bitter towards Yami (if he isn't already),   
and wallows even more deeply into self-misery and pity for himself.   
  
There is a little pun at the end as Yuugi sings "I'm a little teapot." In   
case you haven't noticed, teapots hold within them, tea. Ha ha ha.   
  
************************************  
  
Yuugi talks to Yami in this scene. This is the closest he   
comes to revealing to his alter-ego that he is bitter and resentful. He   
is tired of Yami being the spotlight of his life, although when face to   
face with his alter ego, Yuugi realizes that Yami is innocent of such   
beliefs and genuinely wants to protect Yuugi. There is a suggestion   
that Yuugi might also be closer and more intimate with Yami, as is   
popular in a lot of fanfics. (see: Submission of the Heart)  
  
***********************************  
  
The psychiatrist scene is as simple as it seems. Yuugi goes   
to talk to a shrink, and ends up confessing about his jealousy. Since   
he is confused, he can't offer any straight answers. He likes Yami,   
but is jealous of him at the same time. Basically, Yuugi wants to be   
as "popular" as Yami, but realizes that he will never be.   
  
The poke-fun part is when Yuugi realizes that the psychiatrist, in all   
reality, really can't do anything for him. He is curious at what would   
happen if he tried, and of course, he was prescribed to medicine. His   
disappointment is that no one can understand what he is feeling, and   
the medicine is representative of trying to make Yuugi conform back   
into society and be "realistic" again.   
  
*********************************  
  
This is where it becomes evident that Yuugi is drifting away from his   
friends. This is mostly due to his suddenly perverse nature, somewhat   
sardonic and laughing at his predicament. Obviously, he hates his life   
and finds his situation ironic.   
  
His hiding the Millennium Puzzle and not realizing that Yami can   
only appear from the puzzle is slightly disturbing because he begins   
to convince himself that Yami is either a real person or part of him   
(as in part of his imagination), and doesn't need the puzzle to appear.   
Yuugi desires a life built on his own reality (his own magic), thus   
abandoning the magic of the puzzle.   
  
One can also argue and say it's the effects of his medicine, or the fact   
that Yuugi really _is_ insane and has no clue what is going on.   
  
*******************************  
  
Just a bit of humour in this scene. Yuugi has a banana, a shape   
completely different from his customary "apple" he brings for lunch,   
signaling a change in his perspective and his life. The other meaning,   
as Jounochi had muttered, is that Yuugi _is_ bananas (and doesn't   
know it).   
  
***************************  
  
More internal struggle here. Yuugi wonders if he ever was friends   
with Yami, and thinks of all the "favours" he has done for his alter   
ego, referring to Yami as a friend. In the process, he forgets what   
Yami really is. (See: Kakou Naka Hakkyou)  
  
************************  
  
The dream sequence is an escape from reality. This is probably the   
part that most people don't understand, which I can understand   
completely ^_^. Here, Yuugi dreams that Yami is his brother, and   
that his whole event with the Millennium Puzzle and his friends   
Honda, Tea (Anzu) and Jounochi was all a dream. We see his desire   
for a friend and companion, and his greater wish for Yami to live as a   
separate being. Yuugi wants to look up to Yami as a brother and an   
idol, but knows that this is not possible, as the once-pharaoh (note   
that Yuugi sometimes addresses Yami as the once-pharaoh) is always   
confined to the puzzle. The Puzzle is symbolic in that it confines   
Yuugi's relationship with Yami, and creates the idea of the   
supernatural warping his reality.   
  
In short, Yuugi yearns for a normal life.   
***************************  
  
Of course, in the end, Yuugi wakes up from his dream with Yami as   
his older brother and back into the actuality of his situation.   
Instinctively, he searches for his Millennium Puzzle, which shows   
his still-childish grasp on his alter-ego.   
  
The end of the story concludes with Yuugi never actually realizing   
that he banished his alter-ego with the puzzle he hid. By then, Yuugi   
has lost his touch with reality, and can no longer distinguish anything   
other than what he yearns. Ironically, he yearns to come back into   
reality and forget his Yami so that he can live a "normal" life.   
Therefore, he moves away from Yami as a child does from their   
comfort toy.   
  
He is still disoriented from this step, and the medicine is symbolic of   
him perhaps not being as sane as we thought. In fact, he might just be   
insane after all, although in Yuugi's perspective, everything seems   
sane.   
  
Main ending theme: What life appears to be might not be the same   
for everyone. How life defines itself is dependent on the person.   
  
  
***********************************  
  
Ending notes: Whee! Amen to that ^_^.   
  
Wow! I can't believe I did a synopsis on my own fic -_-;;; - it makes   
me feel sorta weird… but hey! If you can understand it better now,   
then it's worth it ^^. Of course, I didn't add a whole bunch of ideas   
and hidden meanings – if you can find a whole bunch of these words   
with double meanings, than you're definitely getting the hang of it! If   
not – then its time to move on to another fic! As I always say,   
  
JA! 


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